You’ll love these soft and juicy chicken seekh kababs, they’re flavorful, easy to make and can be made on both the grill and stovetop!
If you’ve browsed a Pakistani restaurant menu, you’ve likely seen Seekh Kababs. These flavorful kababs are made of minced meat, a few spices, are shaped on a skewer then grilled. The result is tender and juicy kababs that are full of spicy, smokey flavor.
These Chicken Seekh Kababs, like our Beef Seekh Kababs, are easy to make at home for when you can’t get to your favorite restaurants.
Easy Chicken Seekh Kababs
These seekh kababs are so easy to make, and don’t take any time at all!
We love these seekh because they’re:
✓ tender, juicy, kababs with an explosion of flavors with fresh spices
✓ so easy to make – the mixture is made in only one bowl
✓ made with traditional spices for restaurant-quality kababs
✓ versatile – can be made on the stovetop or on the grill!
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more Pakistani grill and kabab recipes, here are some of our favorites:
- Chapli Kabab
- Chicken Shami Kabab: Chicken and Lentil Patties
- Gola Kabab
- Tandoori Chicken: Pakistani BBQ Chicken
Ingredients & Notes
- Ground chicken – minced chicken keema – using finely minced chicken, and thigh meat will result in more tender kababs that don’t break.
- Onion, green chilli, cilantro, garlic – go straight into the kabab batter to add lots of flavor.
- Ground spices – cumin, coriander, crushed red pepper, garam masala powder – add lots of flavor to these kababs
- Melted butter or oil – you’ll need to brush oil onto the grill so that kababs don’t stick.
How to make Chicken Seekh Kabab?
Chop the onion and grind to paste. You can also grate the onion and squeeze out the excess liquid using a paper towel or fine mesh sieve.
Chop the green chillies, garlic and cilantro finely.
Add chicken keema, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli flakes and salt, onion, green chilli and cilantro to a large bowl. Mix well.
Optional: To get a smoky flavor, heat a piece of charcoal and add a piece of foil to the bowl with the kebab mixture. Add a little butter/oil and cover tightly so the smoke does not leak out. Remove the coal with foil after 10 minutes.
Cover and set the chicken mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or preferably overnight.
Take a portion of the mixture, about the size of a tennis ball size, and roll it into a log shape. If you prefer, you can use a wooden or metal skewer to help you shape the kabab.
Once all the kababs are shaped and ready, preheat the grill or frying pan.
Brush the grill with oil or butter. Grill the kababs for 3-5 minutes on each side.
If frying, preheat the frying pans. Once hot, add a little oil to the pan. Add the kebabs to the pan and cook in batches. Make sure not to crowd your pan.
Flip the kababs to cook all over, 3-5 minutes on each side.
Tips for Chicken Seekh Kabab
- Make sure that your chicken mince is fine as possible. Using thigh meat, with more fat will make a moist kabab that will not break.
- If using the stovetop, use a heavy bottom pan or skillet for best results; they heat more evenly and retain heat for longer. We love using our cast iron skillet to make seekh kababs.
Use chicken thigh meat instead of lean chicken breasts. The higher fat content will help make the kabab soft and juicy.
If your seekh kabab mixture is dry or your kababs are breaking, it is likely because it is not moist enough. You can add a little roasted chickpea flour to help bind the mixture.
What to serve with Seekh Kabab?
Serve these seekh kababs hot and fresh along with your favorite chutneys and dips.
- Mint Raita: Easy Yogurt Sauce
- Green Imli Chutney: Spicy, Sweet Tangy Sauce
- Khajur Imli Chutney: Sweet and Tangy Tamarind and Date Sauce
If you’re looking for simple side dishes with seekh kababs to make full meal, here are some of our favorites:
- Lachha Paratha
- Vegetable Pulao: Pakistani Vegetable Rice Recipe
- Corn Bhel: Easy Corn Chaat Salad
- Chana Pulao – Spiced Chickpea Rice Dish
Leftover seekh kababs can be made into a seekh kabab roll, or a simple tomato based, Karahi Kabab Curry
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Chicken Seekh Kabab
Ingredients
- 1 pound minced chicken keema ground chicken
- 1 onion medium
- 1-2 Green chilli chopped
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- Butter/oil for grilling
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- Chop the onion and grind to paste. You can also grate the onion and squeeze out the excess liquid using a paper towel or fine mesh sieve.
- Chop the green chillies, garlic and cilantro finely.
- Add chicken keema, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli flakes and salt, onion, green chilli and cilantro to a large bowl. Mix well.
- Optional: To get a smoky flavor, heat a piece of charcoal and add a piece of foil to the bowl with the kebab mixture. Add a little butter/oil and cover tightly so the smoke does not leak out. Remove the coal with foil after 10 minutes.
- Cover and set the chicken mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or preferably overnight.
- Take a portion of the mixture, about the size of a tennis ball size, and roll it into a log shape. If you prefer, you can use a wooden or metal skewer to help you shape the kabab.
- Once all the kababs are shaped and ready, preheat the grill or frying pan.
- Brush the grill with oil or butter. Grill the kababs for 3-5 minutes on each side.
- If frying, preheat the frying pans. Once hot, add a little oil to the pan. Add the kebabs to the pan and cook in batches. Make sure not to crowd your pan.
- Flip the kababs to cook all over, 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Serve fresh with paratha and green raita or imli chutney.